The principle is access to forest management, then employment, and income for the community, while still paying attention to forest sustainability
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar has said that the concept of social forestry, which gives communities the right to manage forests in a sustainable manner, can create new economic growth in villages.

"So, the concept of social forestry is to build regional growth centers, in this case, village growth," the minister said in a statement released here on Wednesday.

The government has given village communities residing around forests legal access to manage and utilize forest areas, she added.

Such communities can obtain social forestry management rights through five schemes: village forest management schemes, community forestry, community plantation forestry, customary forest, and partnership schemes.

"The principle is access to forest management, then employment, and income for the community, while still paying attention to forest sustainability," said Minister Bakar.

The format of the development is through institutions, access to land management, organizational capacity of forest farmer groups, as well as facilities, including marketing and efforts to increase capital, she informed.

The minister said that social forestry has developed now not only due to the ministry's efforts, but it has also expanded to the downstream sector so that communities can develop into productive communities.

She said that the development of the social forestry business groups (KUPS) is closely linked to increasing village capacity on the Village Building Index (IDM).

Examples of upgrading the KUPS class to gold and platinum that have contributed to the IDM can be seen in the districts of Sinjai, Bulukumba, Karangasem, Buru, and North Batukliang Subdistrict in Central Lombok District.

The ministry has continued to provide guidance to the KUPS in various regions so that they can upgrade to gold and platinum classes and carry out export activities.

In 2022, South Sulawesi was the province that recorded the highest increase in the KUPS class, with 35 KUPS upgrading to the gold class.

Then, in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), there were 13 KUPS, Maluku 5 KUPS, East Java 4 KUPS, and East Kalimantan 4 KUPS.

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Translator: Sugiharto Purnama, Katriana
Editor: Sri Haryati
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